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Talks between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid over the potential signing of midfielder Saul Niguez are underway, according to journalist Ekrem Konur.

The lowdown

Liverpool may be on the hunt for a new midfielder this summer after Georginio Wijnaldum left to join Paris Saint-Germain at the end of a five-year spell at Anfield.

Saul made 22 starts and 11 substitute appearances for Atletico in La Liga last season as they beat Real Madrid and Barcelona to the title. However, one potential concern for the Reds may be his discipline: only seven players in the Spanish top flight picked up more yellow cards in 2020/21 than the 26-year-old (10).

Saul still has five years remaining on his £207,000-per-week Atletico contract, so unless he is willing to take a pay cut, he would become the Reds’ highest-paid player.

The latest

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp seems to be the driving force behind the prospective move, having seen Saul score against his team in the first leg of their round of 16 defeat to Atletico in the 2019/20 Champions League.

According to Konur, it is ‘at the request of Jürgen Klopp’ that the Reds have opened talks with Diego Simeone’s side over a move for the 26-year-old.

The verdict

It would be a surprise to see Liverpool pursue this deal. In all likelihood, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara will be the first-choice midfield trio next season, so any new signing would be slotting into a rotational role.

Saul would be pretty expensive for a squad depth option, when someone like Florian Neuhaus could be much cheaper in terms of transfer fee and wage demands.

Perhaps signing Saul would lead to the lucrative sale of another midfielder, like the injury-prone Naby Keita for instance. Otherwise, it doesn’t seem to make much sense.

In other news, these Liverpool fans loved another transfer decision from Jurgen Klopp.

When Jose Mourinho was sacked earlier this year many Tottenham Hotspur fans expected the club to make a statement appointment to set them up for the coming years, however former Spurs star Paul Stewart believes that Paulo Fonseca is certainly not the right man.

Fonseca was renowned for an attacking and brave style of football during his time with both Shakhtar Donetsk and Roma, and that will please Spurs fans who were deprived of a lot of exciting football last season under Mourinho as Spurs only won a league game by more than one goal 13 times.

The former Roma manager has reportedly agreed personal terms with Spurs and a lot of fans will already have an opinion on him after seeing what his Roma side were like during the Europa League semi-final against Manchester United, and it’s safe to say they didn’t look great, getting brushed aside 8-5 on aggregate.

Spurs fans will want a manager to come in and play exciting and front-foot football, something which was an ever-present under Mauricio Pochettino and despite Fonseca being likely to bring this, Stewart claims he could be the worst option for his former club as he spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“He’s the last and worst option, because like you said, when you watched them against Man United they were totally outclassed and were never in the tie at all, and Levy is looking at someone like him to bring success to Spurs.”

With a relatively limited Roma side, Fonseca turned them into an exciting team to watch with how many goals they both scored and conceded but it was also the volume of chances they created with 3.05 goal creating actions per 90 minutes, the sixth-best in the Serie A.

Fonseca won plaudits across Europe during his time at Shakhtar Donetsk for the fearless and attacking style of play in the Champions League, even beating Manchester City 2-1 during the 2017/18 season.

Daniel James has impressed during Wales’ first two games in the Euros, which may spark further interest after recent links to Leicester City, but former Hull City star, Dean Windass, can’t see Manchester United letting him go.

James, 23, got a huge move from Swansea City to Man United in the summer of 2019 and after a solid debut campaign, he found first-team starts a lot more difficult to come by last term, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer handing the winger just 11 in the Premier League.

Leeds famously thought they had signed him in January 2019, only for Swansea to pull the plug on the potential deal on Deadline Day, despite James having signed everything and already taken pictures holding the shirt.

Man United appear to have their sights set on landing Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, which could be a huge worry for James’ future at Old Trafford but, despite this, Windass can’t see the Red Devils letting him go, which he exclusively said to Football FanCast:

“I can’t see Ole letting him go because he’s still a young lad who is learning and he’s doing very well for Wales so I can’t see Man United letting him go.”

James would no doubt love to become a regular at Man United, however, he appears to be a long way behind the likes of Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and also Sancho, if the England international does arrive at Old Trafford this summer.

It may be a case of giving it one more season to prove that he is good enough because he is certainly a great impact player for the Red Devils to have considering his lighting quick pace, which he showcased for Wales against Turkey in the Euros.

Some Wolves fans have been left to rage as a transfer update emerged on Rui Patricio.

As per Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Jorge Mendes is ‘working’ on a deal to bring the Portugal international to AS Roma, with general director Tiago Pinto teaming up with him to get it done.

Patricio would be available for a ‘reasonable’ fee, one that would be ‘lower’ than others demanded by other teams for their respective goalkeepers.

The 33-year-old only missed one game in the Premier League in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt), and so it would be silly to let such a key player go without a suitable replacement lined up.

Nonetheless, Patricio’s experience is vital both off of the pitch as well as on it, especially for the younger players coming through like Fabio Silva.

The Midlands club should really be looking to keep hold of their number one just for some stability, with question marks over the futures of their other key players given that they let the likes of Diogo Jota and Matt Doherty go in last summer’s window.

Wolves fans on Patricio transfer update

These members of the Molineux faithful raged as the transfer update was shared on Twitter:

“See a lot of our fans dismiss Rui as a keeper, personally think he’s solid and not even a position I’ve considered we needed to upgrade currently”

Credit: @Jandersonn94

“Not one we should be selling we aren’t going to get more for him than what we originally paid because of his age!”

Credit: @ACrowe87

“Please no”

Credit: @Vyoe_

“Pls no”

Credit: @eve_elizabethxx

“Hope Wolves learn buy first sell after. Still can say no. Got at least another year while we get goalkeeping experience under him. We do develop good goalkeepers”

Credit: @Darkowl1rush

“Sorry but our only goalkeeper going for peanuts to be replaced by who exactly for less money?”

Credit: @jaylittle84

In other news, find out what manager update has left Wanderers fuming here!

Derby County are considering a move to bring Josh Bowler to Pride Park this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Hull Live, who claim that Wayne Rooney’s side are interested in speaking with the 22-year-old in the coming weeks, with the winger set to leave Everton upon the expiry of his current contract at the end of the month.

The report also suggests that Hull City could be keen to bring the player back to the KCOM Stadium this summer, with Bowler having spent a year on loan at the club in the season before last.

Roberts 2.0

While Bowler impressed for David Unsworth’s Everton U23 side this term, scoring three goals and providing two assists over his six Premier League 2 appearances, the winger’s returns in professional football have not been overly convincing – with the youth side manager claiming that the youngster has been “frustrated” by his lack of first-team opportunities with the Toffees.

In his aforementioned loan spell with Hull, Bowler went on to make 28 Championship appearances for the Tigers, over which he scored one goal, registered no assists and created no big chances for his teammates, in addition to averaging a mere 0.3 shots on target and 0.2 key passes per game.

These disappointing returns saw the £3.1k-per-week man earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of just 6.31, ranking him as Hull’s worst performer out of all 32 of their players to make an appearance in the league that year – with Grant McCann’s side finishing rock bottom in the Championship standings.

As such, with Derby County barely scraping Championship survival themselves last season, unless Wayne Rooney can bring in a number of quality additions to his side over the summer, next term would not appear to bode overly well for the Rams either.

And, one signing made by the 35-year-old manager who particularly failed to impress for Derby last season was that of Manchester City winger Patrick Roberts, who scored one goal, provided one assist and created one big chance over his 24 Championship appearances, as well as averaging a disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.42.

So, if Rooney wishes to avoid a repeat of the mistake of signing Roberts last season, with similar statistics between the two players in their last Championship outings, it would be highly advisable for the former Manchester United forward to turn his focus away from Bowler this summer.

In other news: Rooney must sanction Derby swoop for £24k-p/w beast with who’s “like a Paul Scholes”

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, David Norris, who made 36 appearances for Leeds United, has backed his former side to make a move for Julian Draxler who has fallen out of favour at PSG.

Draxler has been handed just six starts in the 19 league games since Mauricio Pochettino was appointed as their new manager, so rumours of a move away to Leeds are still rife, following their interest in the midfielder last summer.

The German midfielder is still just 27-years old and if he was to join Marcelo Bielsa’s side, he would add creativity and versatility as he can operate as a number 10, false nine or winger, something which would help Bielsa if he wished to change formations.

Speaking on how Draxler would be a good signing for Leeds United and how the German may now see Leeds as a good move for his career, Norris told FFC exclusively:

“Yeah he would be a good player for them and I’m sure he was spoken about last summer a little bit but I don’t think he fancied it. He may have possibly thought with Leeds being newly promoted that it wasn’t clear what they would be like.

“After this season he may see Leeds differently as they are one of the big teams now and they have got a chance of doing something special so that might change his mind. I think it could have something to it.”

The 27-year old has had a successful career since he swapped Wolfsburg for PSG in 2017, having won an impressive 13 trophies during his time in Paris.

Bielsa will be looking to add some more Premier League quality to his squad this summer as they look to improve on what has been a solid debut campaign.

Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has revealed that Lee Johnson will remain in charge of the club next season.

What’s been said?

In an interview with talkSPORT, the 24-year-old Black Cats majority shareholder gave his backing to the incumbent Sunderland manager, suggesting that, while he was disappointed with the play-off semi-final defeat against Lincoln City, he would not be making any impulsive decisions over the 39-year-old’s future.

Louis-Dreyfus said: “I was disappointed, like everyone else, that the season didn’t finish as we expected it to finish. Anything can happen in the play-offs and unfortunately we fell short, but I think the players deserve credit.

“Lee Johnson was a long-term appointment from the start and we all knew, regardless of the outcome this season, he would be with us next season. I think he’s the right man to lead us to promotion.”

Fans will be split

Following the disappointment of the defeat in the play-off semi-finals, it was reported that Louis-Dreyfus was considering Johnson’s position ahead of the club’s third consecutive season in League One, however, these latest comments would appear to put any doubt regarding the manager’s job to bed.

It could easily be argued that this is a good decision by the club’s owner, as the 39-year-old showed that he is more than capable of getting a tune out of the Sunderland team, having led his side on a run of 12 straight league games without defeat earlier in the season, before a number of injuries suffered by several key players derailed the club’s promotion push somewhat.

Furthermore, Johnson also ended the club’s 48-year wait for a victory at Wembley this term, with his side lifting the Papa John’s Trophy back in March.

However, whether or not the Mackem fanbase view Louis-Dreyfus’ backing of the former Bristol City boss as a good thing is debatable, as footage emerged shortly after the play-off loss that appeared to show a number of fans extremely unhappy with the 39-year-old.

On the other hand, a number of Sunderland fans on Twitter appeared to give their backing to the manager, with one stating that he is “100% behind” Johnson ahead of next season, while another called for their fellow Black Cats supporters to “back this guy.”

As such, it would seem as if the fans are somewhat split as to whether they agree with Louis-Dreyfus’ backing of Johnson, and only time will tell to determine which of the faction will prove to be right.

In other news: Sunderland drop update on “desperate” £6k-p/w flop that is sure to leave fans livid – opinion

On a truly historic night for Manchester City football club, Pep Guardiola’s side ended their Champions League hoodoo by reaching their first ever final with a 2-0 win over PSG.

The Citizens came into the game at the Etihad off the back of a superb victory in the first leg back in Paris, and simply continued where they left off on Tuesday night.

A brace from Riyad Mahrez saw City clinch victory in both the game and the tie, but it was Oleksandr Zinchenko’s superb performance at left-back that also caught the eye.

As per Sofascore, the Ukraine international won 100% of his duels on the night, making coming up against the likes of Neymar and Angel Di Maria look supremely easy.

He was aggressive in the challenge and didn’t shirk away from the 50/50s, while he also kept his head composed when City needed it the most – a moment in the second-half saw him stay on his feet and not commit before throwing himself in front of Neymar’s goal-bound effort inside the box.

Zinchenko made four tackles over the course of the game, which was the third-most of any City player, while his coolness in possession was reflected by the fact that he made the most passes and boasted the best accuracy of any Citizen.

And, in his post-match player ratings for The Evening Standard, James Robson gave him a seven, saying: “Thought he had conceded a penalty – then breaks away to set up City’s opener. Defended diligently and his bursts forward scared PSG.”

In a game chock-full of big-money talents and signings on both sides, Zinchenko more than held his own, and did himself proud.

Given the trials and tribulations he has had to go through in getting to this exact point, City fans no doubt will be over the moon at seeing the £18m-rated Zinchenko shine on the biggest stage in European football.

Former Leeds United defender Danny Mills has admitted that he is confused by Ian Poveda’s lack of playing time for the Whites so far this season.

The Lowdown: A tough season for Poveda

Marcelo Bielsa’s side won 3-1 at home to Tottenham on Saturday afternoon as they took yet more points of a ‘big six’ Premier League team. It was another impressive top-flight performance by Leeds, but someone who played no part in proceedings was Poveda.

The 21-year-old is yet to make a single league start this season, with his last full 90 minutes coming in the Carabao Cup against Hull City back in September.

[freshpress-quiz id=“355458″]

The Latest: Mills confused by lack of playing time

Speaking to Football Insider, Mills struggled to put his finger on why Poveda has featured so little, suggesting that he may not be impressing Bielsa on the training ground. The former Whites defender said:

“It’s a strange one. Bielsa bought him and not really used him in any way, shape or form and he’s been fit.

“You start to think ‘What’s the reason? What are you not seeing in training? What’s he not doing that Bielsa wants him to do?’

“Bielsa clearly likes him because he bought him and you’ve got to be a certain type of player for Bielsa to like you in the first place.

“It’s a strange one. Is it a young player who thought it was going to be a lot easier than it is? Has he not pushed on as hard as he needed to to get into the first team.”

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The Verdict: Patience required

While it has been frustrating not to see Poveda shine this season, it is easy to forget that he is still only 21 and very much learning his trade.

The youngster may have to accept that he is only going to have a squad role at Leeds for the time being, but he seems to have the potential to become a regular in Bielsa’s first team, with some supporters hailing his performance at home to Manchester City earlier in the season.

It would be a knee-jerk reaction to write Poveda off at this early stage in his career, with patience required both from the player and from Whites supporters.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly confident of sealing the signing of one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Newcastle have opened talks with former Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe about the possibility of taking over at St James’ Park, according to Frank McAvennie.

It was reported at the start of the month that Howe, who left the South Coast club last summer following their relegation from the Premier League, was on the verge of joining McAvennie’s former club Celtic.

But uncertainty has since crept in. Football Insider claimed that Crystal Palace intervened first in a bid to hijack the deal, and now McAvennie has revealed that, according to his sources, Newcastle have thrown their hat in the ring.

Speaking to Football Insider, he said: “Eddie Howe is going to be speaking to Newcastle.

“From what I hear, he’s holding back on Celtic and it looks like he’s talking to Newcastle, which is a shame because Steve Bruce has done a good job.”

Howe was Newcastle fans’ number one choice

Last month, 14,000 Newcastle supporters took part in a Chronicle Live survey, and a whopping 95% called for the club to part ways with Steve Bruce amid the threat of relegation.

10,000 of those fans voted on their preferences for Bruce’s replacement, and Howe led the way with the backing of 25%.

Transfer Tavern verdict

The hold-up in the proposed Celtic deal certainly suggests that Howe has cold feet. His preference may be another shot at Premier League management.

But it’s difficult to see him taking the job at Newcastle. Yes, they’re a huge club, but the 43-year-old has the air of an immensely ambitious coach, and the ceiling at St James’ Park is pretty low while Mike Ashley remains in charge.

Perhaps if the takeover is eventually completed that may change things, but at the moment we can’t see Howe becoming the latest in a long line of managers to be stifled by Ashley.

In other news, Newcastle have been told how much they should be prepared to pay for Joe Willock.